Microsoft 365

Built into Word, Outlook, OneNote and Edge on most Microsoft 365 plans: Read Aloud, Immersive Reader, Dictate and keyboard navigation.

Last reviewed: 28 October 2026 · Applies to: Microsoft 365 Desktop & Web Apps (Windows & macOS)

These instructions were checked against official Microsoft documentation on the review date. Some shortcuts and ribbon options differ between Windows, macOS and web editions of Word, Outlook and Excel.

The tools already built into most workplace PCs

Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote and Teams are already installed in most UK workplaces, and they include substantial built-in reading, dictation and accessibility tools even before specialist software is installed. They are also among the best-supported desktop applications for JAWS, NVDA, SuperNova and ZoomText.

In practice, many workplace barriers come not from Microsoft 365 itself, but from how files are formatted—documents with no heading styles, spreadsheets with merged cells, or PDFs printed without structure tags.

Getting Started with Built-in Tools

  • Read Aloud (Word, Outlook and Edge): In Word on Windows, press Ctrl + Alt + Space (or go to Review → Read Aloud; in Outlook, check the Message or View / Immersive Reader tab depending on whether you are using classic or new Outlook) to hear your document or email read back with word highlighting.
  • Immersive Reader (Word, OneNote, Outlook and Edge): Go to View → Immersive Reader in Word or OneNote (or the View / Message tab in Outlook, and the address-bar icon or F9 in Microsoft Edge) to adjust column width, page colour, line focus and text spacing for easier visual reading.
  • Dictate vs Windows Voice Typing: When editing a document or email message, select Dictate on the Home or Message tab in Word and Outlook (Alt + ` in supported Windows builds) for Microsoft 365 cloud dictation with spoken punctuation, or press Windows + H on Windows 10/11 to open Windows Voice Typing in any other application.
  • Search for any command (Alt + Q): Press Alt + Q on Windows to jump straight to the Microsoft Search box at the top of Word, Excel or Outlook and run a command by typing its name, even if a ribbon tab differs in your version.
  • Turn on Live Captions in Microsoft Teams: During a Teams call, open More (…) → Language and speech → Turn on live captions to follow spoken discussion in real time.

Moving around Office with a screen reader

  • F6 moves between panes. Press F6 (or Shift + F6) to cycle between the main document area, the ribbon, the status bar and open side panes such as Navigation, Comments or Accessibility Checker.
  • Ctrl + F6 switches between open documents. Quicker than cycling through every application window with Alt + Tab when comparing two Word files.
  • Alt opens Ribbon KeyTips on Windows. Press Alt to hear the letter shortcuts for each ribbon tab (for example, Alt, H for Home or Alt, R for Review), or use standard menu bar shortcuts on Mac.
  • Use real Heading Styles, not just bold text. Applying Heading 1 and Heading 2 from the Styles gallery (or pressing Ctrl + Alt + 1 / Ctrl + Alt + 2 in Word for Windows) creates real structural headings that appear in the Navigation Pane (Ctrl + F) and screen-reader heading lists.
  • Run the Accessibility Checker before sharing. Go to Review → Check Accessibility (or Options → Check Accessibility when composing an email in Outlook) to spot missing alt text, merged table cells and low-contrast text before sending a document or slide deck to colleagues.

Common problems, and what to do

  • An Excel sheet reads as unlabelled numbers. Format data ranges as an Excel Table (Ctrl + T) with a header row, or define row and column titles so screen readers announce the column header as you move across cells.
  • A PDF exported from Word loses all its headings. Use File → Save a Copy / Export → Create PDF/XPS (with Document structure tags for accessibility ticked) rather than Microsoft Print to PDF, which strips heading tags out.
  • Desktop vs Web app shortcuts conflict with browser shortcuts. Word and Excel for the web have improved hugely, but screen-reader and power-keyboard users usually get more reliable shortcut support by clicking Editing → Open in Desktop App.

Short practice exercise

  1. Open a document in Microsoft Word, type a section title, and apply Heading 1 (Ctrl + Alt + 1 on Windows or from the Home → Styles gallery).
  2. Open View → Navigation Pane to confirm your new heading appears in the clickable outline.
  3. Switch to View → Immersive Reader, test a wider text spacing or page colour, and click Read Aloud to hear a paragraph spoken back.

Official Microsoft 365 help links

Need more detailed guidance?

This quick guide covers the basics. Get practical, one-to-one training for Microsoft 365 alongside your screen reader, magnifier or dictation setup.

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